


Save the Last Dance For Me

by Sway



Category: Castle
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 06:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1972029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sway/pseuds/Sway
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> Ladies and gentlemen, I now present you the last… item of this year’s most eligible bachelorette on the force auction.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Save the Last Dance For Me

**Author's Note:**

> This is **not beta’d** but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Comments are love.

The dress pooled around her body like the expensive red wine in his glass. Her auburn hair was styled in precise curls, her make up delicate and tasteful.

She knew she was beautiful but she only let it show on rare occasions. Usually, she hid herself behind her work attire but now she showed off her long arms and endless legs. She radiated confidence and strength. The kind of strength that had nothing to do with her black belt in aikido.

Of course, she would had him for what he had done. It was their little game. She would blatantly ignore his good intentions and the charitable cause of his actions. This time, she might even smack him. He’d probably enjoy that, too.

Long strides carried her across the dancefloor, the dress flowing like liquid silk around Ni…

“What are you writing, dad?”

Alexis popped her head over her father’s shoulder, trying to get a look at the napkin he had been scribbling on for the past ten minutes.

Castle all but jumped out of his chair at the question, dropped the pen in the process and tried to cover his writing with his hand.

“Nothing,” he replied, clearly caught in the act.

“Are you writing fanfiction again?”

“What? No!,” he crumbled the paper in his hand and stashed in the pocket of his tux. “Besides that one time, it wasn’t so much as fanfic. It was more of a…. character study. I wanted to get a better feeling for the character I was developing.”

Alexis’ eyebrows went up in doubt. “Right. There was plenty of character study in that smut fic you posted on stormoffiction.net.”

Castle spun in his chair, looking at her. “Okay. One, you’re grounded for going on the fansites again. Two, how do you know what a smut fic is? And three, you’re grounded.”

“Come on, dad. Don’t you think it’s better if I find out myself than if my friends tell me in school about it? That’s a childhood trauma I don’t need.”

“Still, these sites have you confirm your age for a reason.”

“Right. Choosing between a yes and no button really is proof of my age.” She took a sip from her orange juice. With a quite voice, she added. “I kinda liked it, too.”

“What?” His eyes widened in shock. “Yeah?” He reconsidered his glee. “Wait, what? No, bad, dirty, wrong. You should not read that stuff, okay? As your father I forbid you to read any more smut fic until you can click that yes button without lying. Do we have an understanding?”

Alexis couldn’t help but grin, then she nodded. “Understood.” Under her breath, she murmered. “No1CastleFan.”

Castle raised a finger but the gleam in his eyes gave away his mock-anger. Then he leaned towards her, whispering. “Just don’t tell your grand-mother.”

“Got it.” Her voice also lowered to a conspirational tone, she asked: “So, when are you going to tell her?”

“She should find out any second. Too bad I can’t see her face when they tell her.”

“She will kill you. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, but at least I’ll die for a good cause then. And next year, they’ll throw this fundraiser in my name.”

“Of course, dad. Of course.”

 

*

To say Kate felt uncomfortable was clearly the understatement of the year. Ever since her high school days, she knew she wasn’t made for the stage. Speaking in public had never been her strong suit, standing on stage for public display was even worse.

Of course, she had dolled herself up for the occasion. She’d a picked a burgundy dress that went down to her ankles but the slits revealed her legs up to mid-thigh. Her shoulders were bare except for a little glitter she had applied there, revealing the lean muscles of her arms.

She dressed up like on rare occasions but she knew she could pull it off. And still, standing up there on the stage in the conference room of one of New York’s finer adresses made her feel less confident than she was willing to admit. And the night was not over yet.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I now present you the last… item of this year’s most eligible bachelorette on the force auction,” the auctioneer announced and Kate winced. Too bad that Lanie kept reminding her of her rather dire date life, she didn’t need to hear it over loudspeakers as well. “Detective Kate Beckett from homicide. We will start at 500 dollars. Do I hear 500?”

Kate’s mind drifted off as the bids got higher. She didn’t want to know for how much she was “sold” for. She tried to tell herself it was for a good cause, and yet she couldn’t think of something more terrible than men haggling over women like this. She found it quite repulsive but when she had told the Chief about it, he had blatantly ignored her.

“5500 dollars by the gentleman in the back, do I hear 6000? Do I hear 6000? 5500 going once… going twice…” Before the auctioneer could get to ‘sold’, a waiter came up to the stage and handed him a slip of paper. He read it once, twice before a grin lit up his face. “Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we got a outselves a winner. We have a received an anonymous bid that is… well, very generous. So, I’m sorry, sir, but the lady’s been sold.” He smacked the gavel down on its little wooden plate, sealing the deal.

Kate stepped up to him as he folded the paper into his pocket. “Excuse me, sir, who have I been… sold to?”

“Oh, I can’t tell you, ma’am. But the gentleman will meet your at the bar. Have a nice evening.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”

Kate made her way across the dancefloor, past the man who she had almost been sold of to and approached the bar.

 

*

Of course, she should have known. Her spidey-sense should have went off in red alert at the words ‘anonymous bid’. There could be only one to pull off a stunt like that.

“I hate you, Castle.”

“No, you don’t.” The writer leaned against the bar, a glass of champagne in his hand and a smug smile on his lips.

“Oh, but I do. It only varies in the level of passion.”

He pouted at her. “Oh come on. Aren’t you the least bit grateful I saved you from a dull evening with that cheap suit over there?”

She scowled at him, crossing her arms in her chest. “So tell me, how much I do gore for these days?”

“250 grand and a camel.”

“A camel? Castle… you shouldn’t have.” If she was surprised by the amount of money, she didn’t let it show.

“Like I said, I’m a very generous man.”

“Glad we got that settled. Thanks for the donation, I’m out of here.”

She already turned to leave when his hand closed around her biceps. “Not so fast, Detective. I believe this auction comes with a bit of an obligation on both sides.”

Kate’s fingers closed around his wrist, her tight grip making him let go. “It’s for a good cause, not to get laid, Castle.”

“Who said anything about getting laid?” He tilted his head to one side, looking her up and down. “Unless you want to.”

“Castle…,” she said, threateningly.

“Alright, alright.” He held up his hands in defiance. “Okay, listen. A drink and dance. Then you can take the pumpkin coach back home.”

She considered that for a moment, trying to figure out whether he was serious.

“One dance.” She took the glass from his hand, downed the bubbly in one pull, then took his hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

 

*

The band was playing some jazzy number as they stepped on the floor.

Kate’s around went around Castle’s neck, his hand rested lightly in the small of her back.

They swayed slowly to the music for a while before he spoke.

“If it helps you any… I think you look gorgeous.”

She glanced up at him, the faint smile giving away his sincerity. “Thank you.” She lowered her face to hide her blush. It took her a moment to gather enough courage to continue. “And thanks for… not making this any more horrible than it already is.”

“If you hate this so much, why are you even here?”

“Because the Chief’s been riding my back about this for…,” she almost said ‘years’ but rephrased in the last second, “a while. I managed to dodge this in the past but this year, I couldn’t say no anymore.”

He smile at her. “Good thing I stepped in and saved you from all these other guys, huh?”

“You knew about this, didn’t you?” Her eyes narrowed, yet she didn’t feel the anger she tried to show.

“Esposito sings like a bird in the prospect of a nice, foamy macchiato.”

“That’s it. I’m going kill that blabbermouth.”

“Come on, it’s not that bad, is it?” Castle spun her in a circle before pulling her close again. A little closer than before. “I got the charm, the looks…”

“The ego.”

“That, too.” He grinned at her. “And you must admit, I’m quite the dancer.”

She shot him a cheeky smile. “You think shaking your hips from left to right qualifies as dancing?”

He bit back a laugh. “I’m not going to respond to that, there are kids around.”

“Thankfully.”

They remained quiet for a while, dancing in slow circles, ignoring the looks and quiet whispers.

They both had a reputation. Castle being the famous author and infamous playboy. Kate being the hard-boiled cop with the somewhat deserted social life. Probably the entire police force of New York knew they had been partnered up which was reason enough to stare and snicker. And now they were dancing together. She would probably never hear the end of it.

“A quarter of a million,” she murmered into his chest.

“What was that?”

Kate looked up at him. “I was just thinking… you just donated a quarter of a million dollars. I don’t even know how many years I have to work for that kind of money and just gave it away like that.”

“Not just like that. I had a very good reason to.”

Once more, she gave him her trademark scowl.

“Detective Beckett, it might come as a bit of a surprise to you but I’m not a bad guy.” He paused, then added completely sincere. “Plus, you’re worth every penny.”

Heat erupted on her cheeks. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He leaned into her and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Silence fell between them until the band wrapped up the song.

Kate was the first to pull away. “Well, I guess this is it, Castle. One dance.”

A touch of disappointment flickered over Castle’s face. “It’s been a pleasure,” he said with a courtly nod.

She smiled at him. “Yeah.”

“Will you run again next year?”

She had already turned and walked a few yards away when she turned halfway back to him. “I hope not, Castle. I really hope not.”

 

 


End file.
